The blog of @ldodds

Category Archives: Personal

I’ve been doing some domain-modelling with an arts organisation recently. The domain model that we’re working on will help underpin a new version of their website.

We gathered some domain experts across the business and ran some workshops to start capturing how they think about their domain, what they do, what the outputs are, etc.

Data modelling isn’t something that most people do. The process of trying to build a model of the world is, to varying degrees, new to them. Just as understanding the nuances of different types of art events and curating exhibitions is new to me.

So there’s been an element of me teaching them about what I do — the geeky stuff — alongside them teaching me about what they do. By coming to more of a shared understanding we can collectively get more from the exercise.

I love that process.

I love learning stuff, particularly in domains that are very different to the one in which I often operate. You don’t often get chance to sit with a bunch of domain experts and hear them discuss what they do at great length.

I also love that light-bulb moment when you can see people suddenly get what you’re teaching them. Its like you can actually see them levelling up in front of your eyes.

(I’ve been trying to rationalise what, on the surface, seems to be too very divergent interests: a love of teaching & a love of coding; whatever the reason, it probably explains why I keep doing different roles).

I then got to thinking about how so many of the events that run these days are largely domain based: domain experts talking to each other. Not people teaching each other new things, maybe in wildly different domains. I guess Ignite events might be closest, but I’ve never been to one. They also seem like they’re highly structured and involve calls to action rather than teaching and knowledge sharing, but I might be wrong.

So what kind of events am I missing? Where can I get my learning fix, or is there scope for a new type of “geek” event?

My time at Talis — which will have been four years in September — has been a fantastic experience. I’ve worked with some incredibly talented people on a wide range of projects. The culture and outlook at Talis was like no other company I’ve worked for; it’s a real pleasure to have been part of that. I’ve learnt an massive amount in so many different areas.

I’d argue that Talis more than any other company has worked incredibly hard to promote and support work around the Semantic Web and Linked Data. And I’m really proud of that. Despite increasing — but still slow — adoption, the decision was made that there was only so much more that could be done, and that it was time for Talis to focus elsewhere. Over the next few weeks I’ll be winding up Talis Systems’ activities in that area, and working with existing customers on continuity plans.

This year has been very difficult, on a number of levels. On the whole I’m now glad that I can focus on the future with a fresh outlook.

If you need help with a Linked Data or Open Data project or product, then get in touch. Over the past few years I’ve done everything from data processing through to modelling, product & technical strategy, and even training.

Longer term, I want to take some time to think about the kind of work that I enjoy doing. I love building products, particularly those that are heavily data-driven. I want to build something around Open Data. Beyond that I’m not yet sure.

If you have something that you think I could help with, then I’d love to hear from you.

Its been 9.5 years since I first started working for Ingenta. Over those years I’ve been presented with some fantastic opportunities and worked on some great projects with great people.
From a technical perspective I’ve developed a deep appreciation for hypertext, web architecture, XML, and semantic web technologies. I’ve spent the last 18 months or so creating a publishing platform that has semantic web technologies at its core. This is something I’m particularly proud of as we’re putting these technologies into production use. Our early experiences are that their flexibility is really going to pay-off when it comes to building next generation publishing and research tools. Meeting the changing requirements for researchers and scientists means really embracing semantic web concepts like linked, open data. So I’m confident that this platform is going to serve the company well in the future.
But I also decided that its time for me to move on and explore other opportunities. While my role has always been varied and changing, I decided it was time to do something different, in a role that would let me continue to work with semantic web technologies.
So I’m happy to say that from 1st September I’m going to be joining Talis as Programme Manager for the Talis Platform. I’ve been really impressed with what Talis have achieved over the past few years: they’ve got a real strategic vision and a hugely talented team. I’m excited to be joining them to work on developing the Talis Platform and help them deliver on their vision for the future. Its a natural step forward from what I’ve been working on for the last few years.
But first, time to relax with my family before getting my teeth into the new role. Exciting times ahead!

Recent conversation at the Dodds Family Residence:
Martha (who is three): Mummy, I want to go to the hair dresser
Debs: OK
Martha: I want to have the straggly bits cut so I look more like a Jedi
Debs (to me): What have you done to my kids?!

The “five things” meme is still doing the rounds and it turns out I’ve been tagged by Phil Wilson. So here’s five things that you almost certainly don’t know about me:

My wife and I got together at University after a Rag 3-legged pub crawl. Yes, my charm is so bad that tieing myself to a lady with a skipping rope and plying her with beer for an evening is the best I can do. We’re still together 14 years though. Yes, I’ve untied her since

I have a degree in Biology and for my final year project I somehow ended up studying the egg laying behaviour of Callosobruchus maculatus. This involved sitting in a small, dark, hot room (35 degrees centigrade) which had no windows, watching six female beetles recording what they were doing every thirty seconds over a period of two hours. This was repeated 30 times. What I’d wanted to do was study gorilla behaviour.

I suffer from vertigo and am mildly claustrophobic (the latter not connected with the former, but it didn’t help much either)

The first ever database schema (OK, record format) I designed was on my first computer. It was an inventory system for my dad’s pigeon lofts

So, I’ve signed up to twitter. So now there’s yet another place that I can occasionally update. At least there’s a nag feature.Twitter seems like Finger and .plan files reinvented for the web.
Cue dubious blog post title.

I’ve got several speaking gigs lined up over the next few months which I thought I’d jot down here.
The one that’s probably of most general interest to readers of this blog, and the one I’m currently most excited about, is a talk I’m giving at XTech WebDev. Titled “REST for the Wicked” I’m going to be preaching the REST religion straight from scripture and the bible of HTTP and hope to lead a mass repentance for sins against web architecture.
Well, actually it’ll be nothing of the sort, what I’m aiming for is a straight-forward pragmatic overview of REST, reviewing what it is (and isn’t), how one designs RESTful applications and the benefits of that acrue as a result. I also want to generally spread the love for HTTP. Registration is open now, so get your name down. I’m privileged to be talking alongside some great speakers, so its going to be a great day.
In November along with my co-speakers I’ll be involved in a reprise of a recent event I took part in for ALPSP. The original event was extremely well received, so we were invited to give the talks again for those who couldn’t make it the first time around.
And then in December I’ve agreed to speak at an STM Innovations seminar (information, Word document). The line-up isn’t completely official yet, but I’m giving a talk under the draft title “The Connection Machine” where I’ll be looking at how the open data web — Web 2.0, Semantic Web, call it what you will — is evolving the web as a hypertext system, and how that is relevant to scientific, technical and medical publishers. Hopefully this isn’t complete hubris considering the identity of the key note speaker.
Beyond that I don’t currently have other speaking gigs planned until next year., although there’s plenty of writing to be done. In April I’ll have the honour of chairing the International Scholarly Communications conference. More on that closer to the time.

It’s been quiet here for a while now. I’ve always found it hard to get enthused about hacking over the summer months, but as autumn returns once again I find my interest returning to geekly matters once again.
However the last few weeks have been particularly precious because, as of this week, my son has started school. I can’t quite believe that five years have flown past so fast and we’ve got to this point already. Truth be told he seems to be taking it all in his stride so far, just as he did with nursery. I think its Debs and I that have been the most nervous. New faces, new routines. And all away from home. I’m not ashamed to admit that it’s enough to bring a tear to the eye. It’s also put me in something of a reflective mood, as you can probably tell. To cap it all off Martha starts nursery at the beginning of October.
Parenting is an odd business. It’s a cliche, but it really is a roller-coaster ride. Everyone expects that initial free-fall; you have 9 months of pure anticipation. And free-fall it is: you have to learn approximately 57 different new skills overnight. My advice for any prospect father is to roll up you sleeves (literally!) and get stuck in straight away.
Every parent has entries that they’d like to make in the mythical Baby Instruction Manual. I think I’d add something frivolous somewhere in an Appendix entitled “Weird Shit They Don’t Tell You”. And that is your partner’s head will, at times, swell to several times it’s normal size. Big Head Mode really exists.
What happens is that you spend long periods looking at the baby, fretting, fussing, cuddling, or just plain gazing into their face. Somewhere in your brain a switch flip so that you’re now used to seeing only tiny baby features. And then when you do actually look at your partner they seem to have an abnormal, freakishly large head. I’ve had independent confirmation that its not just us that have encountered this!
Anyway, just like a rollercoaster parenting has its ups and downs; lulls and sudden frenetic rushes of activity and changes in direction. A few months in, and things just click. Suddenly you’re not in free-fall any more. The baby is sleeping. You’re sleeping, and the routines are all in place. A sense of normality returns.
Then there’s the sudden lurch when the baby starts crawling and walking, and all of a sudden they’re everywhere. Everything moves up a shelf. Furniture gets re-arranged, and, turn your back, even for an instant and they’re off like a shot.
More surprises lurk further down the line. Talking; be ready to explain the why’s an wherefores of literally everything. Potty training; you will learn the location of every toilet within 10 miles of your house. And then…well then, they’re going to school and you’re wondering where the hell the time went.
I’m not sure what the next rush on the parenting roller-coaster will be. I’m very sure it’ll be as enjoyable as all the others.

Last year it was a bumper crop of raspberries. We had some, but not many blackberries. This year the raspberries didn’t do as well (although we still had heaps), but the blackberries have really done well. Over 2 kilos we’ve had out of the patch so far, and there are still more ripening. Must be all this sun.